KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The 173d Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field is announcing the start of construction on a new front gate entrance road and guard house. Construction will begin on June 3 and will last about six months.

The project will be supervised by the 173d Civil Engineer Squadron "Mountain Lions"; design was provided by the ZCS Engineers; general contracting will be Bogatay Construction; and the landscaping design is being provided by Horizon Nursery and the 173 CES.

The construction project will relocate the main base entrance further to the west of the existing front gate on Airport Way. This shift will alleviate congestion on Airport Way during the Air National Guard's peak traffic hours which can cause backed up traffic on to Joe Wright Road.

The project will include a new road and guard house, a new motorized front gate, lighting, traffic control bollards, sidewalks, landscaping, and security equipment. The new road will be routed along Fighter Alley which will feature two aircraft static displays and a new Lt David R Kingsley Memorial. The memorial, designed by 173d CES, will display a section of Lt. Kingsley's B-17 bomber which was recovered in Romania/Bulgaria after the plane was shot down during World War II. It was returned to the base two years ago. The memorial will include benches, bronze plaques commemorating the history of Kingsley, and serve as a sister memorial that was constructed in Bulgaria 2005.